Our project was commissioned by the Seraji architecture office to respond with them to the invitation of the City of Metz to create the new design for the important and central Place de la République of the city. Our proposal for the park artistic direction was to engage the design into a contemporary representation of the European Union’s geography and philosophy.

Some very unique facts have oriented our proposal: Robert Schuman, who was one of the founder figures of the early European Union and was a native of the city of Metz. The city is located on the border between France and Germany and that specificity has been integrated within both countries at different periods.

Our specific landscape design proposal uses the city’s political history, transforming borders, territories, and texts of the law into lights, public benches, pavements, and architectonic walls creating a total environment for a new European ‘Nature/Culture’ symbolic design.

Ground design : borders called Dyads
On the floor, on the sidewalk and the lawns, the European borders will be embedded, forming irregular stainless steel and small lines of lights, creating a curious and charming detail that people can find them little by little on the ground of the park. Each engraved stainless steel line will have the name of the 2 countries/regions to which it belongs. They light up on the floor at night to form a ground constellation.

Urban furniture: The European Charter of Fundamental Rights and all the 27 countries’ shapes are transformed into the graphic scheme and applied as a texture for architecture and types of furniture, such as benches, walls, and bridges. A large digitized glass wall is designed across the public garage entrance. The entire text of the Fundamental Chart appears in a digital form through the glass.

Architecture studio Seraji
Françoise schein
Nils Le Bot, architect
Charles Dard, landscape designer

Ville de Metz